王致和

Founded 1669 in Beijing by Anhui scholar 王致和, who failed the imperial exam and supported himself selling tofu while restudying. The legend: he left a batch covered too long and discovered fermented stinky tofu (臭豆腐) - which became a Qing-court favourite supposedly under the Empress Dowager Cixi. The brand has run continuously for 350+ years.

The flagship product is 腐乳 (fermented bean curd) - small grey cubes in a glass jar, stunningly pungent, eaten as a porridge or steamed-bun condiment. The blue-and-white square jar is a fixture of Chinese kitchens.